Struggling with runny stools

[RamenNoodles]

I’ve been on here quite a few times and I’m still struggling with my bearded dragons runny stools. His poop is half watery and half semi solid partially digested greens and bugs. Mainly stuff that’s hard to digest like the skin of a bell pepper or the head of a cricket.

I was finally able to take him to get a fecal done (Covid had all the vets around us not taking new patients so we had to drive a whole state away) and got a fresh fecal done. But to my absolute confusion it came back negative! He didn’t even have a single parasite egg or anything which is baffling to me because the fecal was extremely fresh and they did a float and a smear test so they definitely would have caught something.

His lighting and UVB is all good his tank is a little cold at night (like mid 70s is the lowest it will drop) due to the way the tank is built I’m not sure how I’d put a heating pad or something in there.

His diet his collars greens, a little bit of bok choy, bell peppers, I’ve stopped giving carrots cause the vet said that could worsen his stool, the occasional blueberry, and sometimes I’ll put a little bit of blueberry soy yogurt cause I’ve heard that can be good for digestion plus he absolutely loves it. I was giving him crickets but I switched to Dubais plus he gets butter and horn worms as a treat.

I’m just extremely confused I was so sure it would be parasites and now I have no idea what’s causing him to still have such a runny stool. I’m gonna call the vet back soon and ask some more questions but I wondered what I should even ask.

 

[SPandS]

What are his basking temps and how do you measure them? Usually if they aren't fully digesting their food it's because the temps aren't warm enough.

 

[RamenNoodles]

What are his basking temps and how do you measure them? Usually if they aren't fully digesting their food it's because the temps aren't warm enough.

I measure them with a temp gun and double check every so often with one of those sensors that stick on the side of the tank and have a probe that goes down onto the basking spot (can’t think of their name for the life of me) I don’t keep it in the tank constantly cause my bearded dragon always thinks it is a big and I don’t want him to try and eat it while I’m not at home.

The temp is pretty much exactly 105 or 104 at his basking spot, but his tank has an open top and our house is kept at 70 to 72 degrees but my room stays in the 80s so I think the temp grade is good enough that’s he doesn’t get too cold.

 

[SPandS]

How often does he bask, does he do it long enough especially after eating? Also how long after you feed his last meal do his lights go out? If he's basking long enough then I'm not sure what could be causing it. Have you tried giving him any sort of probiotic?

 

[RamenNoodles]

How often does he bask, does he do it long enough especially after eating? Also how long after you feed his last meal do his lights go out? If he's basking long enough then I'm not sure what could be causing it. Have you tried giving him any sort of probiotic?

He will bask for 8 or 10 hours. He is in a little bit of burmation I believe, cause he’s pretty lazy. I always have to lift him up and put him on his basking spot. Not that he can’t move he’s just a lazy little guy. He wakes up around 8 to 10 eats around noon to 3 pm depending on the day and his lights go out around 7 pm. So he has plenty of time to digest and warm up.

I tried giving him some blueberry soy yogurt and I’m honestly not sure if that helped very much, but he will eat anything I smear that stuff on. Do you have any recommendations for probiotics?

 

[RamenNoodles]

If anyone has any idea what might be the issue or a recommendation for antibiotics or even a few questions to ask the vet it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[RamenNoodles]

Still struggling with this any help is appreciated

 

[KarrieRee]

Still struggling with this any help is appreciated

@AHBD

 

[AHBD]

Hi, how big + old is your dragon and can you post pics of him as well as his poo and his enclosure ? I would cut out the peppers and see if that helps. Does he act fine otherwise ?

 

[RamenNoodles]

Hi, how big + old is your dragon and can you post pics of him as well as his poo and his enclosure ? I would cut out the peppers and see if that helps. Does he act fine otherwise ?

Sorry for the wait I didn’t have a good poop pic but I just got one. He fell asleep on his basking spot and just crapped in his sleep. He’s done that a few times before but never both together. I did feed him a two hornworms today so I wonder if the extra water made him go.

He’s between one and two years old the breeder wasn’t sure. He’s probably a foot and a half give or take. Other than the severe runny stools he’s pretty chill. Always ravenously hungry for bugs and is pretty good about eating his salad.

I’ve cut out the peppers a while ago but there was no difference so I put them back in. The vet advised against carrots thinking the sugars might have increased the runny stools. Let me figure out how to post photos and I’ll send em over!

 

[RamenNoodles]

So this is his enclosure (the mesh top has holes so the light and UVB can get through) it’s 3ft by 4ft I believe and made out of Maple wood. The flooring is this rough plastic sheet almost like tile. (He looks really pissed off cause I woke him up in this pic)

This is his most recent poop. The two white things in the bottom middle are a hard urate that broke in three pieces (the other chunk was stuck outside his cloaca cause he was sleeping in the poop) the white stringy think about it was wet normal urate that attached to the big urate in the middle of the photos. He produces multiple urates one soft and the others hard. All the green mater is undigested or partially digested plant mater like collared greens. Right above the big urate those little roll like objects are the skin of a bell pepper. Surprisingly there were no insect parts this time. Also it was extremely runny but it’s hard to tell because it all ran down the stack of bricks but there was plenty of brownish water in a puddle as big as him.

(The one brick has identitying info on it so I have to blur it out)

And finally this is what he looks like when he’s ready to crap (learnt that the hard way rip carpet). Pitch black beard and tail and moving around his cage trying to find a good spot to go. Then he craps and he’s back to his happy orange bearded self.

He’s gaining weight and seems to be happy. He looks outside through the window above his cage and walks around. It’s not like he’s suffering and in pain but based of the awful descriptions it sounds like he’s on deaths door but he’s perfectly fine.

 

[RamenNoodles]

The vet responded and wants to put him on a general parasite medication and if that doesn’t help she wants a blood test for Adenovirus.

 

[AHBD]

Hmmm, it could be just that he's so well hydrated from all the greens he eats. I don't know if putting him on a general parasitic med. is a great idea . Can you ask what med. they'll be using and for how long ? Also, id the temp. you're getting right under the light 105 , what about the ambient temp. like where he's laying off to the side ? If the ambient temp. is too low he might not be spending enough time under the hot spot and not digesting things as well as he should. All in all the poo is a bit runny but it's not uncommon to see veggie bits like that in the poo. I'm sorry that your carpet did not survive the great dragon doo doo disaster though.

 

[RamenNoodles]

Hmmm, it could be just that he's so well hydrated from all the greens he eats. I don't know if putting him on a general parasitic med. is a great idea . Can you ask what med. they'll be using and for how long ? Also, id the temp. you're getting right under the light 105 , what about the ambient temp. like where he's laying off to the side ? If the ambient temp. is too low he might not be spending enough time under the hot spot and not digesting things as well as he should. All in all the poo is a bit runny but it's not uncommon to see veggie bits like that in the poo. I'm sorry that your carpet did not survive the great dragon doo doo disaster though.

The ambient temp is like 80ish on the cool side of his cage. It can be a little higher or a little lower. The vet said due to parasites lifecycles sometimes they don’t get picked up in a fecal and whenever he’s on anti-parasitic meds he seems to improve. Still runny poop but it’s digested well. I’ll have to check what med but I’m assume a few weeks or months or so. He’s under or right around the heat lamp a good bit. I worry if he’s getting to cold at night but I’m not sure how I’d heat up his little hide.

Also I’ve been panicking about the adenovirus almost all day plus had to get a cavity filled so thank you so much for making me laugh with the “great dragon doo doo disaster!”

 

[AHBD]

You're welcome , it's good to laugh about these things, especially something that only a dragon owner would understand. : D
And yeah, I can see that tactic to try to rule out any parasites. Hopefully your dragon is not ADV positive but if he is there are ones that survive with it .